Make plant-healthy cooking at home Easy — Equip your kitchen with Melissa’s Favorite Gadgets!
Most people I work with in cooking classes or my coaching programs say they need to retool their kitchens. Let’s face it. Cooking whole food plant-healthy at home is different than what we’ve been taught (a-hem! that was me! 🙋♀️). It’s not hard, it just takes some adjusting. When you’re well equipped, success is easier and lasts (no more roller coaster frustration!).
Check out this list of my favorite small appliances, cook’s tools and storage solutions, foods and ingredients, essential books and more!
Items are listed in no particular order — read through the descriptions for how I use each one!
This page contains Affiliate links of my TOP choices for a well-equipped plant-based kitchen. I only suggest products that I use personally and/or aid in my clients’ health journey.
As an Affiliate or Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases made from this site at no additional cost to you. Earnings go towards my coaching practice operating costs and helps keep valuable content in production. As a solo entrepreneur, every little bit helps! Thank you!
9-cup food processor by breville
This is a just-right size for everyday recipes, making quick work of cooking! From hummus and puddings to chopping veggies in a flash, a plant-based kitchen needs a food processor workhorse! Order this item here.
Electric Food Chopper by Ninja
Many people find chopping vegetables and fruits too time consuming and difficult. The Ninja food chopper is another workhorse that I use almost daily. It makes chopping by hand a thing of the past. Order this item here.
High-Speed Blender by Vitamix (model 5200)
The Vitamix 5200 pro-grade blender is a powerful and frequently used workhorse in any plant-forward kitchen! It’s used almost every day in my kitchen! Order this item here.
Personal Blender by NutriBullet
NutriBullet makes it easy to fix salad dressings and single-serve smoothies in a breeze. It’s a convenient size and takes care of those smaller batches that high-speed professional blenders are too big for. Order this item here.
Handy Cook’s Tools
Large Shaker Bottle By Oxo
Making oil-free dressings is a KEY to healthy salads and creating cardiovascular wellness. I have two of these shaker bottles and use them often to make dressings for the week ahead. Order this item here.
Veggie greenBags by debbie Meyer
Keep your produce fresher, longer with these special produce bags! They may seem superfluous, but trust me, they work! Don’t let produce spoil too soon - get these bags and you’ll get to enjoy more of your produce for longer! Order this item here.
Large cutting board by Epicurean
I’ve used many different cutting boards over the years. This one takes the cake! It’s designed to maintain your knife’s edge, preventing dulling its blade. A sharp knife is a safe knife! This size is perfect for everyday use, and I love the four corner rubber feet to prevent slippage. Order this item here.
Classic Blonde 8” chef’s Knife by Shun
If I had to buy just one knife, this would be it! Shun’s 8” chef’s knife handles about 99% of the necessary chopping tasks in a plant-forward kitchen. Good thing too, because it’s a gorgeous knife to use as much as to look at! Order this item here.
Cookie & Batter Scoop Set
It may not seem apparent at first just how handy these scoops can be. I use these tools when scooping muffin batter or cookie dough info muffin pans or baking sheets. They’re also handy to make perfect-sized energy balls with! Order this item here.
Angled liquid measuring cup set by Oxo
These liquid measuring cups are handy because you don’t have to stoop down to read the mark! Who knew that’s a blessing in disguise? Not only are these cups convenient, they’re space-saving too because they nest inside each other! Order this item here.
Ultimate 10-piece silicone utensil set by GIR
I love the utensils made by GIR (Get It Right)! They seem to have thought of everything, like high-heat resistance, angled edges and sturdy handles. Plus, beautiful colors (I like Slate) make for a gorgeous kitchen! Order this item here.
3-quart Salad Spinner By Cuisinart
On batch-cook days when making multiple salads to put in lunch-sized containers, or when making a big dinner salad, this salad spinner is so handy. Just wash leafy greens and toss them in the basket to spin out water. That makes dry leaves to last long, avoiding making a wilted, wet and limp, unappealing salad. Stay crisp! Order this item here.
Small Shaker Bottle by Oxo
These small shaker bottles are perfect for salad dressings and thin sauces that I put on top of grain bowls. I keep a couple bottles in my kitchen to have on hand for when I make dressings and sauces, which is every week! Order this item here.
Small Shaker Bottle by Oxo
These small shaker bottles are perfect for salad dressings and thin sauces that I put on top of grain bowls. I keep a couple bottles in my kitchen to have on hand for when I make dressings and sauces, which is every week! Order this item here.
Grid Veggie chopper by Mueller
If I’m not traditionally chopping by hand, using the food processor or the Ninja electric chopper, I’m using this grid chopper. When Texas 1015 onions are in season in the spring, or when other seasonal veggies on sale, I buy a bunch, use this chopper and freeze extras. So easy & fast! Order this item here.
Small Cutting board by Epicurean
Another near-perfect cutting board by Epicurean, this small ‘bar-sized’ board is perfect for when you want to cut small produce or just one thing and don’t want to get out the big board. Cherry tomatoes, lemons & limes, or just one zucchini — this is my just-right-size kitchen helper! Order this item here.
Classic Blonde 3” Paring knife by Shun
Every single day, I’m using my paring knife! This Shun knife is the perfect size for quick cutting and small jobs. I appreciate its small size and big abilities! With the 8” chef’s knife, this paring knife packs a 1-2 punch! Order this item here.
12-cup silicone muffin pan by Trudeau
I’ve tried many different muffin pans over the years and this one takes the cake (or muffin!). Not only is this a fun confetti design, its silicone is non-stick so you don’t have to use oil or non-stick spray. Phew! Order this item here.
Dry measuring cup & spoons set by Hudson
Ever wish there was a measuring cup or spoon for unusual amounts like 3/4t or 2cups? There is! Scoop once instead of doing kitchen math with traditional sets. Plus, the long shape of the spoons gets into narrow bottles with ease! Order this item here.
Essential 3-piece silicone utensil set by GIR
Just-right sizes and shapes, these utensils will get so many jobs done in the kitchen- like scraping jars and spreading sauces or getting every last drop from the batter bowl! If you spring for a quick kitchen equipment refresh, these are the ones you’ll want. Order this item here.
FreshWorks produce boxes by Rubbermaid
I have a bunch of these boxes, and most seem to be in my refrigerator in use instead of in the cabinet drawer. Why? Because I love them to keep my berries, ginger root, leafy greens and summer squashes fresh! I don’t know how they do it, but produce lasts longer in these boxes! Plus it’s easy to see what’s inside! Order this item here.
Zip-top bag holder
Sometimes you just want another hand or two to help out in the kitchen. This bag holder is perfect for when you need another hand to hold open bags for filling with chopped veggies, soups or grains. PERFECT for batch cooking days! Order this item here.
Zip-top bag holder
Sometimes you just want another hand or two to help out in the kitchen. This bag holder is perfect for when you need another hand to hold open bags for filling with chopped veggies, soups or grains. PERFECT for batch cooking days! Order this item here.
Avocado Slicer
I’ve seen many avocado tools out there and nothing is as simple or nice as this one! It’s handy yet not gimicky. When I use avocados for smoothies, burger toppings, grain bowl add-ins, this tool is my go-to! Order this item here.
Classic Blonde Knife Block Set By Shun
Investing in high-quality knives is a must-have for the at-home plant-based cook. These knives seem to have the perfect balance, a sharp edge and are as pretty as useful for everyday tasks. If you can splurge, get the whole set. If not, choose one knife from the set that will quickly become a favorite trusty tool. Order this item here.
Stainless Chopper/Scraper by Norpro
Scraping food off a cutting board is never a job for the knife, but this chopper/scraper combo tool. Keep your knife’s edge sharp, and rely on this handy tool to gather up minced, diced or chopped produce with ease! Order this item here.
Jumbo Donut pan by trudeau
Everyone loves donuts, just not what the traditional ones do to us! Now you can have your donut and eat it too with oil-free plant-healthy recipes that bake up perfectly in this pan! Tip: put batter in a baggie and cut the corner off to pipe it into each donut circle. So easy! Order this item here.
Pakkawood 7-piece utensil set
Natural dyes make these utensils easy to use without worrying about endocrine disruption like some plastics and metals can. The wood won’t harm pots and pans either. Plus, these are gorgeous, making cooking even more fun! Order this item here.
Premium Silicone 11” Spatula by GIR
I think this is the spatula I use most in my kitchen! It seems to be the perfect size for most jobs. I like the handle too, feeling just-right in my hand. It’s nimble and heat-resistant so even when roasting veggies at 450-degrees, I don’t worry about anything melting on my food! Ew! Order this item here.
GreenSaver Produce Box By Oxo
I think the little basket inside this produce box is the ‘magic’ to keeping leafy greens and other produce fresh! The vent system keeps things just-right in the humidity department too. If you don’t like wasting dollars on produce that goes bad before its time, this storage solution is the golden ticket! Order this item here.
Food
Essential Books